The distinct Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky brand Wild Turkey held a master class at the Cove Night Club in Okada Manila with its Master Distiller Eddie Russel on centre stage, passing around his knowledge and passion about bourbon to Asian audiences.
It is Russell’s third stop on an Asian tour with Wild Turkey and no inch on his face would suggest that he’s already exhausted. After his successful Master Classes in Japan and Hong Kong, Eddie toured around Intramuros in Manila and strolled through Manila Biennale, a month-long art exposition. Eddie pointed out that despite being to the Philippines a number of times, he needed to immerse with the country’s culture before speaking to the bartenders in his Master Class.
“I think [the Philippines] is a great market, so it’s a good opportunity for us and for me, as we develop markets,” Eddie shared. “I want to meet the bartenders and give them the education. The bartenders are our first brand ambassadors.” Eddie also dropped by at Yes Please in Bonifacio Global City, took over the bar, and enjoyed drinks with guests and patrons. “The more I can talk to the bartenders and educate them, the more when people come in and say, ‘I want to try this drink’, they can say, ‘We use Wild Turkey for this’ or ‘We use bourbon because of this…’. So, that’s what it’s about for me: passing out as much education as possible.”
For over thirty years, Eddie Russell has taken over his father’s post in Wild Turkey and led the brand to groundbreaking innovations. He first joined the family business when he took his spot on the lowest rung of the ladder at the company. Learning the Bourbon-making trade the way his father had before him, he was put through the paces taking on menial jobs that may have seemed irrelevant to the process then, but were everything to understanding the Wild Turkey way.